Lakers, Rob Pelinka Agree to Contract Extension, Named President of Basketball Ops
After pulling off one of the biggest trades in recent sports history, Rob Pelinka has been rewarded with a new contract from the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers announced Friday that they signed Pelinka to a contract extension, plus he now holds the title of president of basketball operations in addition to being the GM.
Los Angeles' roster was poorly constructed for most of LeBron James' tenure with the franchise, particularly after the team won the NBA Finals in 2019-20. The Russell Westbrook trade was a failure, though dealing him midway through the 2022-23 season did provide some respite for the organization.
The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals during the 2022-23 season thanks in large part to the depth Pelinka added prior to the the trade deadline, including Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Pelinka hit a home run on Feb. 2 when the Lakers acquired Luka Dončić in a surprise trade with the Dallas Mavericks. The move gave the franchise a long-term building block for the post-James era, but also immediately improved the team.
The Lakers vaulted up to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, finishing with a 50-32 record during the regular season. They will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Pelinka took over as Lakers general manager in February 2017 after serving as Kobe Bryant's agent. His tenure in the front office began as a disappointment, but he took over a difficult situation with a rebuilding roster that didn't have a foundation piece until James showed up.
There were at times issues on the court and behind the scenes for Pelinka. The Lakers were talking to Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue for their head coaching job in 2019 after Luke Walton was fired.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Jorge Sedano reported in April 2019 (h/t Ashish Mathur of Clutch Points) that people were telling Williams and Lue not to take the Lakers' job because the situation was such a mess.
Frank Vogel was hired as Los Angeles' next head coach on May 13, 2019. That move came after Lue passed on the job because he "felt insulted" the Lakers only offered him a three-year deal, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Vogel was fired after the 2021-22 season following a 33-49 finish and 11th-place finish in the Western Conference. Darvin Ham had a 90-74 record in two seasons before being fired in May 2024.
JJ Redick was hired as Ham's replacement the following month. He was the fourth different head coach the Lakers had during Pelinka's tenure as general manager.
It was an out-of-the-box hire since Redick had no previous coaching experience, but it turned out be a terrific move by Pelinka. He meshed well with James right away, not a surprise given their past podcast work together, and Dončić fit in as soon as he arrived in L.A.
Even with some bumps along the way, Pelinka has done a good job overall in one of the most high-pressure jobs in all of North American sports. He has been rewarded with a new deal that will allow him to continue building the Lakers roster as they look to remain among the Western Conference elites into the future.
